Grace Abounds: WEEK 1

So I have been in country for a little under a week now and to say that it has been one of the most emotional weeks of my life would be an understatement. From Highs of excitement to lows of despair and being on the verge of depression, I have already realized that my emotions are not to be trusted here but rather I MUST look towards Him, the author of my faith and this journey. SOO lets start at the beginning of this week. I left Springfield on Sunday and took flights from Springfield to Chicago, to Brussels and then finally Kigali. Upon arriving in Kigali I stepped off the plane and the first thing I noticed wasn’t the smell like Ethiopia but in fact the absence of one….the absence of nearly any noise except the plane….complete silence and a peaceful serenity that seemed to be misplaced considering all the lights that seemed to roll on and on with the hills and mountains that Rwanda is famous for. So Amanda and I get through customs and we meet our contact, a man named Peter, a local pastor who hosts and leads mission teams when they come to do the work of the Kingdom. Later I would hear the story of Peters walk and life and the CRAZY Faith this man had. He left a church to build a new one without a home or job or any means of income AT ALL!!! He built a house without the permission of the government on land that had been bought years prior (the local leaders said he could but they didn’t get permission from the federal government). Peter had no money but God miraculously provided contractors and construction workers without Peter having to use much. The fed government was going to tear it down but Peter prayed for hours and the Lord worked, sparing Peters house….and I failed to mention that Peter has EIGHT KIDS. Anyway that’s a little of his story. So we arrive at Peter’s house where they hosted us and stayed with them for two days. The second day there Amanda and I visited the Genocide Memorial Museum (if you don’t know about the genocide, basically one ethnic group, the Hutus, slaughtered over a million of their countrymen, the Tutsis, in just 100 days before being stopped by the Rwanda rebel force the RPF.) The museum was a very sober ordeal and told the story of the genocide. It really is amazing how long it took the world to recognize that genocide was happening and the UN’s lack of action. (it was said that 5000 UN troops was all it would have taken to stop and prevent the genocide). The two major things that really hit me though was one room that had the skulls of victims in it. The skulls had cracks, holes, or major chunks taken out indicating the blunt force impact that was used to kill them or the bullet that passed through. Outside the museum was a grave site that had mass graves 20ftx10ft made of concrete. No telling how deep they were but there were around 18 of them and the approximate number of bodies was 250,000. To put that in perspective that is more than the population of Springfield Missouri or a little less I can’t remember. To put the genocide as a whole in perspective, Hitler took 5 or 6 years to kill 6 million people and the rate by which the Rwandans were killing each other, that number would have been done in 18 months or a year and a half. The tales and stories were incredibly heavy and it was a solemn occasion to be there and one that will stay with me forever.

Enough of the sad stuff. On Wednesday Amanda and I headed towards Gesenyi and I was able to see the beautiful Rwandan countryside and the rolling hills. Rwanda really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and I have been to a lot of places. So we get to Gesenyi and this is where the despair set in. I was shown where I was going to live and remember that it is night and the power is out so the entire house looked worse. We go to a house without a gate that is made basically out of mud brick and cement floors. I walk in and honestly it looked like something that could be considered a jail in the states. My room had only a bed in it and was extremely dark, my toilet did not have a toilet seat, the shower did not work and there was no sink (the bathroom could not fit one in it anyway) and before you start judging me for complaining, I realize that I could have had it a lot worse. The biggest thing was that I was alone in the house….without power….in the dark. I sat on the bed and despair hit me. I started crying out to God and had my music going on my phone (I had to have some sound cuz it was too creepy not to lol) All of a sudden “it is well” came on and as I sat there singing it I felt God’s presence move and told God I had no idea how I was going to do this but that I would stay. Luckily the next day my next door neighbor, who is an American, said that I could stay in her 5 bedroom house which had a gate and when it came together I was told that apparently machete wielding thieves were known to plague the house I was suppose to stay at so THANK GOD for his provision. There is one catch though…it cost $300 a month to live which brings my monthly expenses to about $500. I will only have enough to get through August….so Please pray about donating and you can do that through the “Rwanda Funding” tab at the top. Alright I am done asking for money. So on Thursday I officially meet the guys and I have to admit the language barrier is causing more of a problem than I thought but God is showing me ways to communicate regardless and relationships are being built. The past two days I have been sick, depressed, angry, happy, adrenaline laced, and a variety of other emotions. IT HAS BEEN NUTS!!! But I decided to take what time I had and really go after God and after doing so I definitely feel much better and feel his hand in this. I know that He has a plan and that He has brought me here for a reason and a purpose I just never expected it to be this stressful right off the bat. SO in your prayer time remember me and the men here in Rwanda and also remember Amanda Herdina and the journey God is taking her on as well. More will come later J Oh and I rode on the back or a Dirt Bike which was SUPER AWESOME and for $1000 I can buy my own….just a thought ;)